


Soul Deep

by binkty, doomtwinkie (shinysparks), Erissetian, FantasyOfMine, HappyHappyReader, Sing, sneetchstar, Sweetiedee, Thymelady



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Angst?, Romance, Test run, anything goes!, fluff?, group fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-09-12 15:51:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16875711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/binkty/pseuds/binkty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinysparks/pseuds/doomtwinkie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erissetian/pseuds/Erissetian, https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasyOfMine/pseuds/FantasyOfMine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyHappyReader/pseuds/HappyHappyReader, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sing/pseuds/Sing, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sneetchstar/pseuds/sneetchstar, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetiedee/pseuds/Sweetiedee, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thymelady/pseuds/Thymelady
Summary: Soul DeepThat's how deeply she feels it, him, everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own sleepy hollow 
> 
> this is just some drivel I'm posting for the test run

"My heart."

Her voice echoes out into the darkened room. There are shades of blues and reds from the lighting, the quiet clinking of glasses. But there's a ray of artificial sun, shining down on her head. She swings her braids over her shoulder and continues, speaking to the audience, communing with her soul. 

"My heart, ain't ever known, a rhythm like this. A samba, waltz, techno, b-boy stance, like this." She lays a hand on her heart and sends a secret smile to the particularly dark shadow, slinking in at the back of the room. A sliver of light catches his face. Blue eyes cut through the dark and see, her. To her core, to her heart. 

Pins her in place there, on the stool on the stage, where she declares her ode to topsy turvy hot and bothered new found feeling, she feels, with him. 

"My heart tells me slow down, or you'll short circuit, slow down, he's just not worth it, but heart, listen to me when I tell you----he would never hurt, you. No This man, this keeper of secrets, and cherisher, of treasures, holds you, cradles you in his palm like precious jewel. A rare, glittering gem. Coveted. Wanted. Heart, don't you fear, this man, who batters at your defences----I mean hell yes he might kiss you senseless, and overwhelms your senses, of touch," her voice caresses the word, and she watches as he takes a small step forward, advancing. "Touch that moulds, and kneads and caresses, my hips thighs and breasts, yet none of these does he admire and catch fire like you, heart. My Heart, is afraid, of a song it's never known, and the frantic beating and rhythm it leaps into, with him. But heart, be comforted that as you are conflicted and wary and excited about the scary new plane we have discovered, so is, his."

When did he get there so fast? she wonders, amused. She locks eyes with him, and he mouths to her, 'My Heart is yours'

She grins, takes a deep breath. "My heart, is yours."

The applause, the snaps, and sauntering decent off the stage and into his waiting arms. An indecently hot press of mouth against hers, and something else presses into her as well and she laughs. 

"You were stunning, Abbie."

"You....you inspired me, Crane." 


	2. Chapter 2

“You… you inspired me, Crane.”

“ _You inspired me, Crane...”_

“ _Crane...”_

“Crane?”

“Mmm, I love you so much, Lieutenant,” he mumbles. Tries to mumble. His mouth feels like it doesn’t want to obey his brain.

“You what now?”

Abbie’s beautiful face swims before him and blurs into darkness, and he wills his eyes open. The darkness gives way to blinding, painful light, and the adoring smile on his partner’s beautiful face is replaced by an expression of confusion edged with what could only be called amusement.

“You hit your head pretty good there, big guy,” she says, suddenly averting her gaze. “Thought you were gone there for a minute.” She begins busying herself checking his arms and legs, trying to forget what he muttered just before those bright blue eyes of his opened. Her eyes pass over his body, dutifully trying _not_ to see what was going on in his trousers.

He blinks and groans, the simple maneuver hurting his head. He’s not exactly sure what he may have said that has her looking everywhere but at his face, but she seems hell bent on keeping her gaze focused elsewhere.

He moves his hands, folding them in front of himself. Trying to discern if the arousal he felt just before he awoke was real or imagined.

_Oh dear._

“I think the rest of you is okay,” she says, lightly patting his shoulder. “How do you feel?”

“Every sound is a cacophony. The light is dreadfully painful. My head feels like there is a military band playing a raucous march inside it, and they are using my skull as a drum.” He whispers the answer, as it hurts to speak full volume.

“You might have a concussion. You know what that is by now, right?”

“Mmm,” he answers, and she assumes it to be an affirmative response. He tries to move but her small hand stills him.

“Don’t try it yet,” she says.

Her hand is still on his shoulder, and he notices her arm is not only bare but covered in goosebumps.

“Where is your jacket, Miss Mills? You must be freezing,” he comments, reaching up to wrap his long fingers around her slender forearm.

“Under your head,” she answers.

“But—”

She presses her hand down as he tries to rise again. “I told you to stay put,” she says, her voice finally showing her worry for him. “I’ll be fine. I just… can’t lose you again, all right?”

“I am sorry I gave you cause for concern, Lieutenant,” he apologizes. His hand is surprisingly warm on her skin, considering he was unconscious, and his touch is tender as his fingers almost absentmindedly caress her skin. It feels too nice and is putting very distracting thoughts in Abbie’s head, so much so that she gently pulls her arm away.

“I know you’re not apologizing for hitting your head,” she lightly jokes, attempting to regroup and ease some of the tension in the air. It has been gradually building between them since the day they met, and it’s getting harder and harder to ignore.

“Of course I am,” he says, huffing a small laugh that makes his head throb. “Ugh…”

She moves closer to his head and carefully places her hand on his forehead. “You’re a bit warm,” she says.

“Your cold hand is soothing,” he agrees, his eyes drifting closed. “You should call Joe and Miss Jenny if you are concerned for my health.”

Abbie looks down at him and is nearly overcome with the urge to press a kiss to his forehead. Nearly. “No cell service down here,” she explains.

“Wha- what happened?” he finally thinks to ask. He looks around and sees very little. It’s dark and smells like damp and earth, and he feels coldness beneath him. What little light there is must be firelight, because it casts a warm, flickering glow.

Abbie looks like an Earth Goddess kneeling over him, and all he can do is close his eyes and groan, both from the pain and the memory of what must have surely been a dream induced by a head injury.

It seemed so _real._ He can still hear the cadence and warmth of her voice as it caressed the words.

_Heart, don’t you fear this man._

_My heart is yours._

_My heart is yours._


	3. Chapter 3

_My heart is yours._

_My heart is yours._

_My Love... My World..._

_"Abbie, please accept this token of my affection." Ichabod stares at her intently as she accepts the bouquet of red roses._

_"Thank you, Crane. They're beautiful." She leans in for a brief kiss before burying her nose in the flowers._

_He sweeps the fallen tendrils of her hair from her face marveling over her raised cheeks and curved lips.  "I shall love you until the last rose dies."_

_She falters thinking there is an expiration on their union. And then, she spots the silk rose hidden amongst the fresh flowers. Her smile lights of the room. "Then you shall love me forever."_

_"May I-- kiss your sweet lips?"_

_"You may, and without further pleasantries."_

_Crane's warm lips met hers breathing life into her lungs._

 

Suddenly, Abbie began to choke. Her cough is harsh and desperate forcing her back to reality. The water stings her eyes as she tries to hold them open. The sun's rays hover just above the surface as she toils trying to swim to shore. **Lubb- Lubb- Lubb** \-- Abbie takes on more water as she cries out for help. She gasped taking in oxygen. Painfully aware her life depends on it. With great force, she's pulled back under water. Her strength is no match for the tide that swept her under. It sucks her in, down, down, down, Until she knows there’s no return or rescue.

* * *

 

**Hack— Hack— HACK.**

Abbie comes to - on her side- Crane perched over her shoulder. He’d brought her back with his bare hands.

"Lieutenant, thank HEAVENS. You're alright. Sssh, don’t try to speak!” His speech is strained with emotion; part fear, more relief. “You drowned. I almost lost you!”

“I’m sorry," Abbie chokes out.

He looks up into her honey brown eyes, and she registers the fear in his downtrodden gaze. He chuckles deja vu slapping him across the face.

“Are you apologizing for your brush with death? I assure you, apologies are unnecessary. It is I that should be apologizing. I- I was standing too far away. If I had lost you-" Crane's voice cracks and trails off leaving them to stare in silence. He wipes some of the droplets from her face. Her skin is slightly warmer than when he pulled her from the water. With another deep breath, he composes himself. “God, help me?! I love you, Abbie. I know it’s been fear that has kept us from taking the next step. The fear that we would lose this fight, each other, or both. I do not say this out of fear that we are lost forever, but because I cannot bear to be with you and not WITH you another moment. Is there any part of you that’s willing to give us a chance, now? Tell me, you feel the same!”

“It’s easy to be someone’s world when you’re one of the two left in it. (His face falls at the mention of their current situation) I-"

“Abbie-" he starts to interrupt but decides better of it. He readies himself for the rejection that is sure to spill from her lips.

“The truth is. I love you two, circumstances be damned. When we agreed to finish the mission before exploring us, I couldn’t help feeling like we were being cowardly. And, I can’t say that I’m not afraid we’re jumping in because we’re starting to lose hope.”

“I’ll reassure you every day that it isn’t the case. Being here has given me the gallantry, the ambition to pose the question again."

“But, I know what I want, and that’s to be with you. I’m ALL in. Abbie raised her fist, and Crane returned her pound before leaning in. She closed the remaining distance pausing just shy of his lips. His cool blue eyes follow her gaze up to the dome that confines them.

“I’m certain our captors are amused by this display.”

“Let’s give them a show.”

His arms snake around her waist pulling her close lips meeting with fire and desire. She feels the kiss radiate throughout her body, toes curling. Her fingers weave themselves into his wet hair as her tongue slips past his parted lips sharing in the warmth of his mouth.

He tastes her greedily indulging in her sweetness, savoring every moment they have. Reluctantly, they pull away. Chest heaving up and down lust in their eyes, every part of them craving more.

“I better get out of these wet clothes before the night chill. I think it’s best you do the same.”

Crane gives her a devilish smirk as he follows her lead. They head towards the thick of the forest leaving a trail of clothes behind them. Crane pulls her into the dense forest rubbing his hands down her arms gazing intently in her eyes. They take a moment to appreciate each other’s naked form. He spins her around before hoisting her up into his arms so that she’s eye level. “You’re awe-inspiring.”

“Shut up and kiss me!”

Without hesitation, he kisses her lips.

* * *

 

They lay in each other’s embrace underneath their makeshift leaf blanket. Taxed by their physical exploration and unable to travel the distance to their cave.

“We should head back before sundown or before they get angry and shake the globe.”

He sighs wishing they could escape their current situation for longer. He tightens his grip snuggling against her and burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Abbie giggles but stops short when she feels the water beneath her. The dirt is suddenly mud leaving them both with questioning eyes. “The water has never reached this far in. Abbie wraps the leaves heading out of the forest with Crane nipping at her heels.

“What the bloody hell is Sophie doing?” Crane questions as Sophie holds a hose over a puncture in the spelled globe.

“Either she’s possessed and trying to kill us, or she found a way to rescue us from this hell. Only Thyme will tell!”

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

“Sophie!”

“Agent – gulp – Foster!”

“SOPHIE!! WATER YOU DOING??!” Abbie screamed.

Giant Sophie stopped for a moment, water no longer running.

“Soph – blubb – Sophie??” Abbie yelled again, bobbing up and down. The two Witnesses were now threading water, having gotten far too close to the top of the dome.

A gigantic eye came hurling to the glass. It was ogling them, and it could have been comical, if it hadn’t been such a dire situation. It also brought a good deal of motion inside their confined space.

“Sophie…?” Abbie tried anew.

The eye closed firmly.

“Must. Fill. Dome…” Sophie droned.

“No – no!”

“Nooo, Agent Foster!”

“Sophie! Are you under a spell? Sophie!”

“Keep screaming, Leftenant!” Crane yelled. “She’s listening!”

“Sophie, resist it!” Abbie screamed.

It looked like giant Sophie did; she was shaking and so did their globe. Waves crashed over the Witnesses and they clung to one another. They saw her lift the hose again and a waterfall came down on them.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!”

Moment felt like forever as the current pulled them in any direction it pleased, dragging them down, then hurling them up.

Coming up for air, Abbie screamed to Crane: “If the globe breaks, will the spell break?”

“It’s a guess as good as any!” he screamed back and swam towards her.

“Too bad we weren’t magically transformed into mermaids!”

Their whole mini-pool-world wobbled more than ever, as Sophie dropped the dome that had become slippery in her hand.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Everything was topsy-turvy, but they dived and saw the top of a tall tree. When they crashed to the floor, they were like pinballs without direction, mere trifle or fallen leaves in a world of water. But so far, they weren’t hurt. Only in deep need of oxygen. Being under the now calmed water, they pointed and swam to the tree, which was rising above the surface. They reached it just was water was trickling away beneath them. The crash had led to a bigger leak. Coughing and breathing in new air, they scrambled to get up on the tree, scratching themselves and climbing for their lives.

“We must hold on!” Crane said, pulling her up against him, so they sat astride the tree, clinging to a thick branch, surrounded by wet shrubbery.

“I won’t let go of you now,” she almost sobbed, pressing herself even closer to him.

“Oh, my sweetest Treasure,” he mumbled in a broken voice, kissing her hair and forehead. “I couldn’t bear to lose you now, nor lose my own life. Now when it feels like life has just begun! Now that I’ve known your love…”

“You won’t lose me, nor my love! I’m yours. You’re a part of my soul, Crane. WE won’t lose!” she said fervently, pulling him close into a searing kiss, warming them through and through after their aquatic adventure.

“I don’t know if this is better or worse,” Abbie said, clinging to both him and the branch. “If we’re lifted, we may be held upside down!”

“Only Thyme –”

“Don’t!” Abbie laughed. “Hey – hang on!”

“What, Abbie?”

“Thyme… thyme will tell…”

“Leftenant?”

“What if the plants here are enchanted? Possessing stronger amounts of their abilities than in the ordinary world?”

“Thyme…” Crane mused.

“Strength!” they said in unison.

“Thyme stands for strength!” Abbie laughed.

“Do you see any thyme here? Up in a tree?” he asked, looking at her fondly but apparently wondering if she’d gone mad.

“No. But look behind you!”

He turned his head and had to laugh.

“Mistletoe? Well, that’s very nice! Kissing and fertility and all… We’re already naked. But here and now?”

“Oh, get over yourself!” she chuckled. “It wards off evil spirits!”

“Ah, of course! So…”

“Grab it!”

“And what will _you_ grab?” he joked.

“Later, big boy. Now if you’ll just – WOAAAHH!!”

As soon as Crane grabbed the mistletoe, the dome cracked open. The tree with them in it was pulled away in an incredible speed to a whole other dimension. Spinning and spinning, the Witnesses were pressed together, until the tree landed less gracefully in the floor of a dark forest. They were shook, but whole.

“Leftenant?”

“You OK, Crane?”

“Yes. And you?”

“I’m OK. Cold and shaken, but OK.”

He hugged her closer. Then he looked around. The forest was dark, but still dimly lit with an eerie glow. They had landed on a small path, and further down on it, at a distance that wasn’t easy to estimate, was a stronger light. Was it a good light, or a bad light?


	5. Chapter 5

"Would have been nice if whatever mystical force brought us here brought us here in our clothes."

Abbie rubs at her arms to stave off the chill in the air as they travel down the path that will lead them to the unknown light. 

"Wherever it is here may be," Crane replies. He tucks her in against his side so she might benefit from his body heat and adds the friction of his own hands to better warm her and she sighs as she settles against him, comforted by his embrace. 

"Are we being foolish right now, Crane?" she asks after a while. 

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, we have no idea what we're going to find when we get to origin of this light," she explains. "Think about it for a second. We are walking into a complete unknown and we are the epitome of vulnerable right now. We're cold, we have no clothes, and absolutely nothing, not even a pointy stick, to defend ourselves with."

"You make a fair point."

"And by following this path we've made ourselves easy targets," she continues. "We're completely out in the open." She waves an arm around them to illustrate her point. Thickets of trees and brush flank them on either side, providing excellent cover for anyone interested in watching them, but the path they walk is entirely clear. "We're operating on pure faith out of desperation right now. For all we know this path could be leading us right to the slaughter." 

"For all we know there could be a feast in our honour at path's end. Or we two could be the sole inhabitants of wherever it is we find ourselves in this realm as well," he counters gently. "But your concern is not unfounded, Lieutenant. We do know someone or something has brought us here but know not for what purpose. However I believe it does us no good to dwell on the evils that may or may not come to pass."

"So label a band of marauders luring us into a trap in order to murder us a darkest timeline and shelve it until revisiting it becomes absolutely necessary?" she concludes with a wry smile. 

"Precisely," he smiles in return. "Caution is paramount but we must not let out imaginations run away with us in the name of it." 

"I still don't like being so exposed like this."

"I'm finding your being exposed quite a welcome distraction actually." He eyes her with a playfully raised eyebrow and Abbie swats at his chest, a soft laugh still bubbling up despite herself. 

"Ass," she says fondly. "I'm serious. This doesn't feel right. It's too convenient. We're transported here where we're immediately presented with this dimly lit path and a mysterious light in the distance to which it leads?" She shakes her head. "Someone wants us to seek out that light and I don't like that we don't know why." 

Crane nods. "Your instincts have never led us astray, Lieutenant, so if you feel we should take to the cover of trees instead of walk this path then I am with you as always."

She smiles at his trust in her and then quickly starts to come up with a plan. 

"Okay, the source of the light seems to be coming from just beyond that ridge there," she says, pointing. "We take to the trees, making it so that we'll be coming at it from the left. Only after we scope things out and everything looks all clear do we venture out to get a closer look."

"On your word, Lieutenant," he agrees.

Abbie nods then, smiling, adds, "And if we just so happen to find a pointy stick while we're in amongst the trees all the better." 

"Perhaps we could find a rock to throw," he adds further, smiling in return.

"Hey I'll take whatever we can get," she laughs. 

They don't travel amongst the trees for very long before a clearing starts to become visible in the distance and in the middle of it, they can discern the source of the light.

"That almost looks like…" Crane begins.

"The cabin," Abbie finishes for him. They turn to look at each other. "Crane, where the hell are we?"


	6. Chapter 6

Everything was right; but at the same time, everything was also very wrong.

As they approached the cabin, they were both surprised at how it looked the same as they remembered; but also, that it looked completely different, too. It felt familiar, but also alien to them. It was both things at the same time, and it was unnerving.

Snow fell slowly the closer they got, and the air turned more and more chilly until it was particularly icy. Fallen leaves that crunched under bare feet gave way to ice, and then inches of snow. They winced with every step towards the porch, walking a bit quicker than either would’ve liked to spare themselves the pain.

“I can carry you,” Crane muttered through chattering teeth, “if you wish, of course. Only one of us needs to suffer here.”

Abbie offered a weak smile, thinking about what it would be like for him to carry her - especially across a threshold - but quickly thought the better of it, given the situation.

“No, it’s fine,” Abbie replied, her voice shaky from shivering, “and easier this way if we need to run.”

Crane nodded in reply as they reached the porch.

Though she was happy to be out of the snow, being on the porch did nothing to assuage her concerns. If anything, she found things even more unnerving. Things were definitely different here. Pots of flowers and other plants, some in full bloom, and others half-dead or decaying, littered the porch. There were succulents and roses and even a pot filled with blooming dandelions. Vines twisted themselves around the posts of the cabin, and ran haphazardly up the walls. None of this had existed at the cabin she remembered.

Even stranger, though, was that all of the plants she saw, whether living or dead, were frozen solid. It was if Winter had come relentlessly and suddenly, and without warning.

It was if Nature here wasn’t sure of what it should be.

“Asphodel,” Crane muttered absentmindedly, snapping petals off of one of the frozen white flowers that was growing out of a pot near the door. He stared at the icy petals in his hand for a moment, before tossing them down. He shook his head, “should we enter, do you think?”

Abbie groaned. She wanted to say no; however...

“We’re gonna freeze to death out here if we don’t. I’m not sure we have a choice,” she said.  
“You’re likely correct,” he said, a worried look on his face, “I wish we had a weapon, though.”

“What about that?” Abbie said, pointing at a strange sort of staff that was leaning next to the door. It looked a bit like a fancy, stylized pitchfork that was missing its center prong.

“That will do,” he said, picking it up.

Abbie stared at him as he held the strange pitchfork - trident? Or _bident,_ rather? Something about it seemed familiar - it seemed _right_ for him to hold it - but she couldn’t figure out why.

He opened the cabin door, and she followed him in.

The interior of the cabin seemed familiar enough; though, it appeared as if no one had been there for years. Dust had settled on every surface, and it was so cold inside that they could see their own breaths.

“We seem to be alone,” Abbie said, after they’d checked all of the rooms.  
“Yes,” replied Crane, before looking over to the fireplace. He gestured at it with the bident, “I wish we had a fire, however.”

The tip of the bident began to glow a bright orange; and suddenly, a fireball erupted out of the end. It flew into the fireplace, and crackled to life.

“What did you...?”  
“I have no idea, Leftenant,” Crane said, staring at the bident in shock. He then carefully set it up against the side of the fireplace.

He plopped down on an old, homemade rug in front of the fireplace, warming himself. Grabbing a crochet blanket from the back of the couch nearby, Abbie joined him. She cuddled up next to him, wrapping the blanket around them both.

She rested her head on his shoulder, staring at the flames. It didn’t take long for him to wrap his arm around her, almost protectively at first. He had long arms, though. And long fingers. And before she knew it, one of those long fingers has brushed her left breast and flicked her nipple, hardening it on the spot. He’d tensed up at his mistake, and blushed furiously.

“My... my apologies, Leftenant,” he stammered, quickly withdrawing his hand from her. “I should not... it was acciden-”  
“It’s fine, Crane,” she told him, smiling and blushing, “and... you know... you don’t have to... I mean, you could continue... if you wanted?”

He grinned from ear to ear. He definitely wanted.

His hand found its way back to her breast, long fingers playfully touching her hardened nipples. Abbie smiled, and quickly returned the favor. Her hand carefully slipped around him, down his hip, and between his legs. His free fingers and toes wiggled as her tiny fingers made contact, and he moaned softly.

“Yes?” She asked him.  
“Oh god, yes,” he replied.

A few moments later, she was straddling him, grinding slow and steady.

She needed it... wanted it. She could tell he was same - not just in his words, but in soul as well. She could feel him, his energy, how he longed for her. And he showed her this, with each thrust of his hips.

She gasped with every movement, warmth and ecstasy overwhelming her as he moved inside of her, so slowly, so tantalizingly... so perfectly. Her body felt like it was humming, and thoughts raced through her mind... thoughts, and memories.

The cabin no longer seemed so strange or unfamiliar to her, nor did the equally strange world they’d encountered outside. She knew it now, remembered it. She had been there many times before.

_Home_ , she thought to herself. It was _home_ , a home that she’d forgotten. She’d been gone for so long, it seemed - a lifetime, even - stuck in the mortal world, slowly forgetting who she was; forgetting her nature. 

Forgetting that she was a _goddess._

But then, it had happened: a chance encounter with a piece of mistletoe had reinvigorated her, and reminded her of her power. And with that power, she ripped a hole through space and time and earth, leading them home.

And then he ripped into her, in the right spot, at the right moment, and she was overtaken with a wave of ecstasy so powerful she felt the earth move beneath her. She shuddered with pleasure, and then screamed his name.

He grinned at her, and kept going, kept pleasuring her in the ways she desired. He moved quick, and then slow. She shuddered, her sensitive clit quivering, making her moan as shockwaves of pleasure rippled through her entire being.

He knew how to please her. He _knew,_ and he abided willingly and without question. He worshipped her with every movement, revering her as he slid into her again, and again, and again. They were connected deeply, in body, in energy, in soul. She was light, and heat, and rebirth. And he... he was her opposite.

He was the once-dead man, the one who had risen from the Earth. He was the one that stuck out like a sore thumb in the mortal world, with his 18th century attire and mannerisms and stiffness. He was the stubborn one, the persistent one, the _Invisible_ One. He was the Host of Many.

He was darkness, coldness, and death.

And he? He was waking up as well. He was remembering, too.

“I found you, Treasure. I finally found you,” he whispered to her. And with a final thrust, he gave her his all.

Abbie felt as if she were a lightning rod, as if all of the power in the universe was hers to control. She breathed, reaching out her arms, feeling electricity flow through her fingertips, feeling her power. The cabin began to react. 

Ice melted. The flowers, whether dead or alive, bloomed perfect blossoms. Birds chirped outside. The cabin seemed to fill with warmth and with color again and a heavenly sort of peace hung over everything around them. Nature seemed competent again.

Spring had come.

Euphoria ebbing, she offered him a smirk before she crashed down on him one final time. She funneled her power into him as she went. Light into dark. Warmth into cold. Life into death. Their energies intermingled, and became one.

His back arched forcefully as he exploded into her. The earth began to shake violently around them, and he clawed his fingers into the rug he laid upon, holding on for dear life as he rode out the wave of energy, of bliss. When it dissipated, he fell back, and lay there, stunned.

Abbie slipped down next to him, smiling as he laid there and watching his bottom lip quivering so much that a line of drool was starting to escape from his mouth. Eventually, he regained enough composure to once again mouth the words “I found you, Treasure. I found you.”

She nuzzled his chest, and he held her closely, protectively. She could sense his thoughts, his feelings. She knew everything. It had been ages since he’d seen her, it seemed; not since that one Winter when she’d failed to return home. She could sense he’d been angry - there was rage there, deep within him. He had raged against the other gods, demanding answers for her absence, for the imbalance in the cosmic order, for the ancient laws being broken. He had been met with silence.

Eventually, his rage had turned to worry, then fear, and then panic. And eventually, he had taken matters into his own hands. He came looking for her.

It hadn’t been easy. A potion made from the waters of the River Lethe aided him in passing unseen from the rest of the gods, but escaping the Underworld had been much more tricky. For that, he had found a vessel: a poor soldier lying dead in a cave, enchanted at the moment of death by his witch wife for some great purpose that was never going to pass.

He’d offered the soldier a deal: an eternity in Elysium for a body and mind; or to be left under his wife’s spell, to rot body and soul in the ground, until there was nothing left for the Ferryman at all. It hadn’t taken the soldier long at all to decide.

Potion, vessel and a deep-seated, eternal love for her - that was all he had to work with, all he could bring with him. And still, he’d succeeded. He found her.

They laid there together on the rug for what seemed to be an eternity, their nakedness warmed by each other and the still-roaring fire in front of them. Abbie breathed deeply, allowing the warmth to fill her up, feeling the peace and contentment that had eluded her for so long. 

"You have to go back, don't you?" He finally asked her, breaking the long silence.

Abbie sighed. She knew the answer. She could already feel the pull. The mortal world - Sleepy Hollow - was calling to her. It was risky, going back; trying to restore the natural order in a world filled with that sort of unending chaos. It was enough to make any goddess lose herself. But eventually, she knew she’d have to acquiesce...

"Yes," she answered, "maybe now, maybe soon, I don't know. Things are a mess and if I'm not there to help restore the balance..."

“The longer you’re there... if you forget again...”

“I know. I _know._ ”

It was his turn to sigh, before getting up and walking into the kitchen. She heard a cabinet open and close, and when he came back, he was carrying a small, clear mason jar containing a shimmering liquid. Taped on it was a label that read “for forgetting.”

He sat back down next to her, clutching the jar in his hand.

“I can’t lose you again, Treasure. I can’t walk as freely between the worlds as you can. I can’t enter my brothers’ domains in full possession of my senses or memory or power,” he told her, staring at the jar, “This worked before. This allowed me to find you.”

“You’ll lose everything, though,” Abbie said, worried and pleading. “You’ll _forget_. No immortality, no power, no memory of who you are. If I also forget and you follow... we could end up like before: mortal, and lost. The Fates brought us back this time. They may not be so merciful again.”

He kissed her gently on the lips.

“I would rather have a single lifetime with you, than an eternity without you.”

He then opened the jar, and drank deep.

Its contents drained, he tossed the jar aside, his eyes growing sleepier and sleepier. It was Abbie’s turn to kiss him, a kiss that eased him slowly into unconscious.

She could sense him lose himself. She could feel his memories, his powers, and everything he was fading into a deep slumber. And with him, she felt part of herself fade a little as well. Suddenly, she wasn’t as worried about restoring the balance in the mortal world. She wasn’t worried about whether she’d return. She had _him._ They were together.

And together, they could do _anything._

Only moments passed before he awoke, but it felt like an age. One blink, two blinks, then a loud yawn, and he was fully conscious once again.

“Leftenant?” He asked, looking quite tired and confused.  
“Welcome back, Crane,” Abbie said, smiling at him.

Crane paused for a moment, looking around the once icy, dust-covered room and how it had seemingly changed into a place inviting and bright and warm. He raised an eyebrow, and looked more and more baffled. He then looked back at her, and his eyes grew wide.

“We... did we just?” He stammered.  
“Oh yeah.”  
“It wasn’t a dream?”  
“Definitely not.”

He paused again, a silly grin exploding on his face.

“That was... it was...”  
“The best sex of your life?”  
“Quite,” he chuckled, “and yourself?”  
“The best... so far,” she told him, with a wink.  
“Dare I take that as a challenge?”  
“You’d better, Crane.”

He nodded, grinning.

“I suppose we should probably try to figure out where we are,” he then said.  
“We’re in the Underworld, Crane,” she told him, “in a nice, quiet little corner just south of the Elysian Fields.”

He stared at her, raising an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak; but she cut him off quickly.

“It’s a long story and I assure you: we’re not dead,” she said, “also, I know the way out.”

Abbie stood up, helping Crane to his feet as well. He wobbled somewhat drunkenly at first, but quickly regained his balance. She walked over to the mantle of the fireplace, and picked up a mistletoe wand that she’d once left there long ago.

Crane, who had followed her over, went to pick up the bident that he’d left laying against the side of the fireplace; however, Abbie quickly stopped him.

“That should stay here,” she told him firmly, watching his surprised reaction. She sighed. Though having a weapon would be helpful, the possibility that him holding such a magical object might jog his memory and remind him of who he was... it was too much of a risk.

Crane didn’t question her, and for that, she was quite thankful. He continued to follow behind her as she walked over to the cabin’s front door.

“I take it this strange place is devoid of any clothing,” he said as they reached the door.  
“I’m pretty sure I saw a pair of skinny jeans in the closet, if you’re interested. They looked right about your size,” she said, trying not to laugh as she opened the front door.

Crane looked horrified.

“I... I think I’d rather be naked,” he replied, stiffly.

Abbie giggled, mouthing the words “I thought so.” She held up the mistletoe wand to the open doorway and concentrated, channeling her power into it. She could feel a rip in time and space form; creating an opening, and leading to... somewhere else.

Light flashed in front of her, and the world beyond the doorway began to ripple at first, before fading entirely until nothing except bright light remained.

Abbie held out her free hand to Crane, who took it gingerly, and smiled.

“Shall we?” She asked him.

He nodded, and together, they stepped through the rip...


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for including me in this group test run. This is my first and hopefully not my last contribution to writing. I want to applaud you fanfic writers. I have so much love and respect for what you do. You are all amazing.

Love is many things

Love is blind

Love is lost

Love is unrequited

Love is rekindled

Love fades

...and for some

Love is forever

 

Light flashed in front of her, and the world beyond the doorway began to ripple at first, before fading entirely until nothing except bright light remained.

 

Abbie held out her free hand to Crane, who took it gingerly, and smiled.

 

“Shall we?” She asked him.

 

He nodded, and together, they stepped through the rip...

 

Brilliant flashes of light overwhelm them, they seem to flash from one reality to the next.A parallel universe perhaps, or better yet a multiverse of some sort.Various possibilities of their lives seem to flash before them.

 

Suddenly Abbie and Crane are in The Hidden One’s lair.Pandora is telling Abbie to sacrifice her soul and her life.Abbie tells Crane to never give up hope and sacrifices herself to Pandora’s Box in order to defeat The Hidden One.Crane refuses to believe Abbie will not return to him.Pandora takes her box to a church and opens it in front of a shocked congregation.A bright light pours out of the box, it shines throughout the church and the box closes.The congregation cannot seem to discern whether it is a good light or a bad light.Pandora watches them as suddenly they all run out of the church.Pandora did not notice Abbie escape the box with a powerful incantation Grace Dixon had taught her...

 

Abbie watches from her hiding place as Pandora leaves the church, and stealthily follows Pandora to the cemetery.She watches Crane and The Horseman battle Pandora, but she hasn’t gathered enough strength of her own to help him.Luckily, Crane is victorious with the help from The Horseman.Abbie sees Pandora wave her hand at the box to destroy it, and hears Pandora tell Crane that Abbie is dead and gone.Pandora’s dying words were a lie.

 

Abbie attempts to get Crane’s attention, but to no avail.He is so preoccupied with Pandora’s Box, which is now illuminating ominously.Crane takes the box out of harms way just before it explodes.The force of the blast knocks him unconscious, but not before he noticed a faint and familiar voice. 

 

Abbie finally reaches him just in time to hear him call her name as he loses consciousness.She calls out to him, “Crane!”.She cradles him in her lap, “I can’t lose you.Please come back to me.”She grows increasingly concerned as she is unable to wake him.She breathes a sigh of relief when she hears the sounds of sirens getting louder.“Stay with me Crane.”

 

Two weeks pass

 

“Hello, sleepyhead.” Abbie says smiling at him.

 

“Abbie...Is this a dream?”

 

“Shh, take it easy.You had a concussion.Everything is okay.Pandora’s Box was destroyed and you saved everyone.”

 

“I don’t understand.Pandora said you were dead and gone.”

 

“She lied.I guess she wanted the satisfaction of seeing you in pain because you defeated her.I was able to escape the box before she destroyed it.”

 

“Abbie, your father and I buried you.My mind is somewhat hazy, but I have these vivid memories.Your father handed me a letter from George Washington.I was instructed to lead some sort of organization to battle the supernatural.”

 

“Crane, none of that happened.You fell and hit your head when the box exploded, you have a bump here.”She moves his hand to the bump on his head.“You’ve been here in this hospital bed in a coma for two weeks.I know this is confusing, and a lot to take in all at once.”

 

“I had many strange visions in my slumber.It seemed so real.Two weeks you say?It felt like a whole year transpired, and I vaguely remember a young girl who was said to contain the soul of the other witness.”

 

“Yeah, that is very strange to say the least.It doesn’t make much sense does it?You know deep down in your soul that none of that was real.None of that happened.Believe me when I say, I’m real.I’m really here with you.You know, you had me a little worried by the way.When you arrived here, you were touch and go there for a minute.They ran all sorts of tests and scans, the doctors still couldn’t tell me when you’d wake up.They said you could be unconscious for weeks or months, and they had no way of knowing if you’d ever come out of your coma.I knew you’d come back to me because you told me, It is not our fate for one of us to bury the other.”

 

He reaches out to hold her warm hand and gently caresses her arm.His Leftenant was indeed here with him alive and well.He kisses her hand.Abbie knew from that moment that she would never sacrifice herself again. 

 

Days later, Ichabod is discharged from the hospital.

 

He and Abbie are sitting in the swing on their front porch.“Sitting here is reminiscent of the visions I had while I was unconscious.I saw our first encounter in that jail cell.I ached to reach out to you but I couldn’t because of those damnable shackles.I had a vision of us in the archives, it seemed you were trying to tell me to let you go.Finally, we were here, in this very spot.To the best of my recollection, I told you that I couldn’t be in a world without you.”

 

“You mean that?” She asked feeling slightly amazed about how full her heart feels at hearing him say that.

 

“Indeed.You must never doubt how much you mean to me.”He holds her hand up to his lips and places the sweetest kiss to her fingers.

 

“Oh my heart.” She blushed.

 

Ichabod kneels in front of Abbie on one knee. 

 

“Abbie...” He begins.

 

“What are you doing?” She asks, not quite sure what her partner is up to.

 

“Please let me finish.” He says earnestly.

 

“Okay.” She replies as a slight realization of the moment creeps into view.

 

“My heart is yours.My heart belongs only to you.You are my hope.You are my everything.” He removes the diamond ring from his pocket.“Grace Abigail Mills, will you marry me?”He sees how shocked she is and says, “I know this may seem too formal or traditional to you, but I have loved you since you threatened to shoot me in that jail cell.”

 

She laughs sweetly and says, “I didn’t threaten...”

 

“Treasure, please let me finish.” He says with a smile.

 

“Okay.” She says as she feels her heart pounding.

 

“We have a bond that is unique, in that it has crossed the barriers of time and space.My love for you is timeless.You and I have been entwined from the very start.If you need more time to think...”

 

She cuts in with a simple, “Yes.”

 

“Yes, you need more time?” He asks nervously.

 

“Yes, I will marry you Ichabod Crane.I love you too.My love for you is soul deep.”

 

“Abbie, you have made me the happiest man on Earth, on any other heavenly body, in the whole known universe.”

 

“Ichabod, just kiss me.”Without hesitation he kisses her lips.

 

“It gives me great pleasure to follow your commands for as long as we both shall live.”

 

“Sounds perfect.”No sooner than Abbie finishes her sentence, she notices a great blinding light.They seem to flash to the next reality.

 

Ichabod asks, “What just happened?”

 

“I don’t know.I think we’re trapped in some weird time stream.” Abbie replies as she looks around, “Well I’ll be damned, we’re naked again.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Ichabbie trapped in a multiverse? / Or is this a Fantasy Of Mine?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to all the writers who got us here. I hope you all like the chapter. I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go & then I struggled to keep it short & sweet lol. I tried to add a little bit of my 3 favorite Ichabbie things. ~Enjoy

“Sounds perfect.” No sooner than Abbie finishes her sentence, she notices a great blinding light. They seem to flash to the next reality.

Ichabod asks, “What just happened?”

“I don’t know. I think we’re trapped in some weird time stream.” Abbie replies as she looks around, “Well I’ll be damned, we’re naked again.”

~

How could this be happening again? She had hoped beyond hope that what they had was real, that the defeat of Pandora was real. But once again they were sucked back into this seemingly never-ending fight against Pandora and her damned Box. Naked again, but this time tormented by a place that seemed familiar but was not.

The Catacombs.

Of all places, why here? Why now? The dry barren terrain wasn’t exactly pleasant, but they would not freeze or otherwise be at the mercy of the elements. And at least this time Abbie was not alone.

“I suppose we should make our way there,” Ichabod pointed to the stone temple of the catacombs sitting high atop a grand earthen stairway, about a mile ahead. The emblem of the Witnesses, Thura, upon it like a crown.

“Ready, Captain,” Abbie nodded.

She tried to toughen up, suck it up and prepare for whatever was to come, but as she held fast to Ichabod’s hand, she felt a longing ache for what they were leaving behind.

“Ready, Lieutenant.”

They made their way across course ground. Ichabod kept Abbie right at his side, lending her his hand and his aid, though she didn’t need it. She was more than capable, but she loved the way he cared for her.

Once inside, things were as they had been left: chess pieces scattered, a hand-drawn map on the wall, and a myriad of passageways with ancient writings on the wall.

“Shall we take a brief respite before we venture to the catacombs to discover why we have been summoned to this place?”

“I’d kind of like to get out of here sooner rather than later, but I guess we could take a short break. Maybe a game of chess?”

“Treasure, we are in the altogether, au naturel... I can think of far more amiable merriment to provide us unattired distraction.”

“Mmm... okay,” Abbie timidly smiled as he pulled her into his arms. 

Firm yet gentle hands caressed her body, strong caring arms held her tight as he pulled her into a tender kiss. It was all she needed, but...

 

“Lieutenant? I can sense the trepidation within your soul,” Ichabod pulled back slightly, his eyes full of concern, fixed on hers. “Is it being in this place that troubles you?”

“I thought it was over, only for us to be pulled here, the one place that...” Abbie let out a sorrowful sigh. “Doesn’t matter. We cannot waiver. I just hate this place. If I could destroy it and never step foot here again, I would.”

 

“We’ll be all right, as long as you and I remain together...”

Ichabod was cut off when the ground beneath them began to rumble with ferocity, the walls cracked. A great quake seemed to rock the Catacombs and split a crater right beneath them. 

“Craaaaane!” Abbie immediately regretted wishing she could destroy the catacombs.

“Lieutenant!!!” Ichabod screamed as Abbie fell through a massive crack. He hit the ground still holding tight to her hands as she dangled, struggling not to fall into the deep darkness below. He refused to let her go. “Hold fast! I will not let you go!”

“Crane! I’m... slipping...”

“No, no no! Abbie!” He strained against the rumbling of the world around them.

“Crane! Don’t let me go...” But no matter how tight his grip, Abbie could feel herself slipping from his grasp until she was free falling.

~

“Lieutenant?” Ichabod shakes her awake.

“Crane!” Abbie awakens with a start, gasping, her heart racing.

“I’m right here... I’ve got you,” he pulls her into his arms and holds her tight.

“Is this real or am I dreaming? Are we really at the Catacombs?” Abbie hugs him tight, looking around the dark room, their room. She’s in the bed they now share. The sun is just beginning to rise and sunlight slowly begins filtering through the blinds and curtains.

It had been a month since Ichabod had proposed. They decided not to waste time with an extended engagement and wedding plans were well underway. But as the time of their nuptials grew closer, Abbie increasingly began to have concerns about the mission truly being over. This was the third time she’d had one of these dreams, dreams that they were being pulled back into another realm, another mission, another fight against Moloch or Pandora.

“The Catacombs? No... I promise you, we are home. T’was merely a dream, Treasure,’ he tries to reassure her.

“Okay. This is more than just wedding jitters, Crane. What if I’m losing my mind?” Abbie lets out a nervous laugh. It’s always been her greatest fear, that she will end up like her mother. 

“When we started this, I had this feeling that I would either be cut down in my prime like Grace, or driven insane like mama... and now...”

“Banish those thoughts, Treasure,” Ichabod soothes her, tenderly caressing her cheeks as he drew her bright amber eyes to look at him. “Your concerns are valid, we have been through a lot... you have been through more than you should have. But know this, you and I have been victorious. Yes, there will be battles to face in the future, no doubt. We are together, a bond that is truly soul deep. And as long as you and I remain together...”

Abbie shudders, causing him to pause. “You said that in my dream... Just before I fell and we were ripped apart.”

“I will never let you go, never again,” Ichabod still feels the pangs of guilt from leaving her in purgatory, and not stopping her from running into the tree that trapped her at Stone Manor. It had manifested for him when he was in his coma and he imagined a life where he’d lost her. “If ever we are separated, I will always find you. I love you so much, Treasure. I am most grateful that our fates were entwined, and that we have chosen to forge our destiny together.” 

“I know,” Abbie smiled wearily.

“We cannot give rise to the fear of the next demonic crisis which we may someday face on the battlefield.”

 

“Or worse, I worry that this life that we have together in Sleepy Hollow isn’t real, and one day I’ll wake up to find that this was the dream.”

“T’is quite real, Treasure,” Ichabod’s gaze is loving, as he gently pressed his forehead to hers; the light indigo eyes she loved so much, and soft deep baritone of his voice, lending her comfort. The closeness between them feels like the most natural thing in the world, as if there were nothing else, just the two of them.

“You once asked me if I envisioned a future for us, and I said no... To be honest, you were married and I... I didn’t know if we’d survive long enough to have any kind of future,” Abbie confesses. “But now, I can’t imagine my life without you. And I want this so bad...” her tone strains with emotion. “I want us... to be married, and I want to know that whatever crazy we might face in the future, we face it together.”

 

“You are the reason I know what true love is, you are truly my better half. I endeavor to be by your side at every turn that this life of our takes,” Ichabod smiles as he tipped her chin up and gives her an ever so tender kiss. 

“The future I invasion for us entails you and I soon wed. There will be times when we’ll have marvelous adventures, likewise face our adversaries together. And there will be times when we can relax on our porch, take the air as we stroll through the park, have leisure at the cabin, as we rear our children...”

“Children,” Abbie chuckles giving him a look.

“Oh yes. Lots.”

“You have a number in mind, or are we just going to wing it?”

Ichabod gives her the softest smile as his bright blue eyes light up.

“What?” Abbie blushes at the way he looks at her.

“You didn’t say no... I was worried that perhaps with the uncertainties of this life which we find ourselves, you might be opposed.”

“I love you, and yeah... it concerns me, but, I trust you... I trust us.”

“And I am completely besotted with you,” Ichabod places a tender kiss on her lips. “You know I have already been working quite diligently to see to this matter.” He kisses her again as gentle hands fondle the delicate skin of her smooth shoulder. He places a kiss there where he’d just touched, eliciting a quickening of her pulse.

“Mmm... have you now,” Abbie hums as her slender fingers gracefully roan up his chest, sending sparks of bliss penetrating his flesh in the wake of her touch. 

“Oh yes,” he places another kiss on her cheek and neck.

She languidly wraps her arms around his shoulders as her fingers sift through his soft silken dark trusses.

 

“No doubt we were once again unattired in your dream.” They’d fallen asleep that way after making love, so he figures as much.

“Okay, we were definitely naked,” Abbie grins as his hands began to roam her soft chestnut shoulders and down the smooth curves her body. His strong hands and long curious fingers send a thrill coursing through her soul. 

“Oooh…” she hum is sultry as her soft lips kiss wantonly. “But you do know we can’t make babies yet since I’m still on birth control.”

“Well, then I suppose we can consider it a most pleasurable act of preparation.” 

Abbie lets out a joyous laugh as he leans her back. Another kiss grows more intense as their tongues rapturously mingle. 

“All of me is for you,” he groans a soft husky baritone in her ear as he kisses down her body. 

“Mmm... I’m yours, Crane...” her voice sings to him. As he continues, each wet kiss a tiny flame igniting her body to come alive with felicity.

He marvels as he regards every inch of her delicate bronze skin, affectionately kissing her breasts, one then the other, until the dark nipples buoyantly peak. Then down further, he spreads her, reveling in the sweetness that she possesses. In and out, as his tongue enters her then his long fingers. 

He takes every delight in pleasuring her tender bud with his tongue until she trembles, coming undone in his mouth. He rises up mounting himself between her thighs, marveling at how beautiful she is when she’s coming and he’s again drawn to her lips, his mouth upon hers, he guides himself inside her, filling her, loving her, giving her all that he has, as their bodies rise and fall rhythmically. 

“Craaane...” Her nails rake down his back as sweat drenches them.

“God... yes... “ He groans. “I love you, Treasure...”

Soon they both succumb willingly to pure ecstasy, as he fills her with his seed.

As she rides the wave of joy and bliss, making love to her soul mate, contently enraptured in their bond, Abbie can only think one thing... *Please let this be real*

 

~*~

 

What will the future hold for Ichabod & Abbie? Only HappyHappyReader knows if we will all be Happy Readers in the end.

~*~


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End - wow, I was so happy (no pun intended) to take part in this fic-writing experiment. I hope I have wrapped up the story in the spirit that it was started: to honor ichabbie's love and connection across fic writers with different points of view and varying styles. It was fun - I hope we get to do it again.
> 
> Any mistakes are on me and please, please, please - give these writers a loud round of applause! Each one of them deserves it!!!

“Please let this be real. Please let this be real…” Abbie whispered, eyes closed as she stood in front of the mirror. 

“Please let what be real, Abs?”  Jenny asked, coming up behind her sister, admiring the simple white dress that framed her petite, hour glass figure perfectly.  In one hand, Abbie carried a bouquet of succulents, a private joke gift from Ichabod for their wedding day. The judge was waiting in her chambers to marry them in the simple civil ceremony.

Abbie opened her eyes staring at herself…awed, grateful and happier than she’d ever remembered being in her millennia of unexpected life, “It’s my wedding day. I’m marrying Ichabod Crane… _it’s real_.”

“It’s real, all right,” Jenny replied, “It better be after all you two went through to get to this day. I mean, the naked dimension jumping alone…poetry slams, snow globes, petrified forests, the cabin, that crazy bitch Pandora, Crane dreaming that some miscellaneous, racially-ambiguous casting could ever make up for your supposed death,” Jenny continued shaking her head at the absurdity, “I mean, y’all been _through_ some shit!”

“True. Although, I really liked the poetry slam…my hair was _fire,_ ” Abbie said with a smile at her sister’s reflection before sobering, suddenly, holding her stomach with her free hand, “ _Not to mention – Crane taking the potion to forget – forget his true nature_ ,” Abbie thought, still feeling some guilt about Ichabod giving up all his power to be hers again across every part of time and space – as they were _always_ meant to be. But it was necessary for their survival – for the survival of _all_ the worlds they touched as _The_ Witnesses. Ichabod would do anything to be what Abbie needed. Abbie knew she would have done the same.

“Treasure,” Ichabod poked his head in the room, eyes resolutely closed so as not to break tradition. He would be bound to hell and back (again) before he risked doing anything that would endanger his future happiness with Abbie, “The judge has asked for us. I believe it’s time.”

Abbie’s smile was gentle as she looked over at Ichabod, dressed smartly but clearly of another time. He wore the very latest in 18thcentury formal wear. “ _Never change, baby. Never change.”_

“We’re on our way. Promise,” Abbie declared, her heart and soul his, “ _Nothing_ is going to keep me from marrying you today, Crane.”

“Indeed,” he smiled, his eyes still closed but his voice full of a love that radiated from the depths of all he would ever be, “Nor I you, Lieutenant.”  Ichabod closed the door gently, leaving the sisters alone once again.

Abbie sighed, looking herself over in the mirror a last time, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s go,” Jenny agreed, moving to the door, a half smirk on her face, “The sooner you get married, the sooner you can find out why you’re unconsciously cradling your stomach.”

“What?” Abbie looked towards Jenny sharply, “I’m _touching_ my stomach, not _cradling_ it.”

“Uh-huh,” she replied as she opened the door for Abbie to step through, “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Jenny, I’m on birth control.” Abbie walked past Jenny into the hall.

“Well, maybe you were an all-powerful fertility goddess in one of those dimensions,” Jenny shrugged, following behind Abbie, “What do you want from me?”

__________

 

“She’s so beautiful Abbie,” Sophie stood, rocking the two-month old in her arms. She’d come to visit Abbie and the new baby, born seven months to the day after her parent’s wedding.

Abbie smiled up at her daughter, so content in Sophie’s arms. Alta Grace Mia Crane _was_ beautiful – the best of her parents. Her name came to Abbie in a dream one night when she was heavily pregnant – the baby almost ready to be born into the world that Abbie and Crane had created – its balance restored from the sheer force of their love for one another. As Abbie dreamed, she heard Crane whispering to both her and their daughter over and over again, “Non est anima mea ad altum,” with such devotion Abbie woke up crying tears of happiness.

“Thank you,” Abbie replied, gesturing for Sophie to sit down on the rocking chair in the nursery, ”We’re very lucky. She’s not fussy _at all_. Sleeps through the night. Took to feeding right away. I honestly couldn’t ask for a better baby.” Their little girl had somehow defied the genetic odds and inherited Crane’s blue eyes. To see them staring out from skin the color of milky cocoa was a surprise, but somehow it gave their daughter an air of otherworldliness and mystery. Abbie didn’t examine it too closely, preferring not to bring tomorrow’s worries into today, as her husband might say.

“You _are_ lucky,” Sophie replied, looking down at the now almost asleep little girl, “And I think someone is tired.”

Abbie rose from the other chair, “It’s time for her nap,” lifting Alta’s out of Sophie’s arms and placing her gently in the crib – making sure the little girl was on her back, breathing lightly but steadily.

The pair quietly left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen.

“I’m so happy for you Abbie,” Sophie beamed as Abbie poured herself a cup of coffee, “Thank you Sophie. This life,” Abbie gestured around the house, “with Crane and Alta is better than I could have ever dreamed of in any world.”

Sophie chuckled lightly, a slight confusion marring her features, “Any world?”

“Forget I mentioned it,” Abbie heard the lock turn and her husband of almost a year (plus several thousand give or take) come striding into the kitchen, donuts in hand, “Hey babe.”

Ichabod bent to kiss Abbie’s lips lightly, “Hello Treasure. How is my light and truth this evening?”

“Good,” Abbie replied with a peck back against his lips, reaching up to lightly scratch his beard. Sophie, much to her credit, watching the pair, knew it was time to leave, “I’m going to get going, but I wanted to give you something for the baby.” Sophie jogged over to her bag where she’d left it by the front door coming back to the kitchen in a few strides.

“Here you go,” she handed the gift-wrapped box to Abbie. “I hope Alta likes it, but don’t open it until after I’m gone. I hate watching people open my presents for them – makes me a nervous wreck.”

“As you wish Miss Sophie,” Ichabod replied calmly as the threesome walked back to the front door and Ichabod helped Sophie put on her coat, holding it for her with 18thcentury politeness as she put her arms through the sleeves of the light weight coat.

“Bye guys,” Sophie waved as she crossed their threshold. Ichabod and Abbie watched as Sophie got to her car, started the engine and drove away.

“So Treasure, shall we see what Miss Sophie was kind enough to gift our daughter?”

“Sure,” Abbie tore the wrapping (little baby elephants), opened the box and lifted the gift out of it, almost dropping it in her shock, “Oh, _Hell_ No!” Ichabod looked over her shoulder, raising a silent eyebrow in a _Oh Hell No_ of his own. Taking it from Abbie’s shaking hands, Ichabod put the gift back in the box, walked out to their backyard and tossed it in the trash, lifting several of the bags already in the can to place over it for good measure.

Ichabod strode back into the kitchen, wiping his hands on his trousers, Abbie still standing where he’d left her, “We’ll think of something to tell Miss Sophie, Treasure, don’t worry.”

“Oh, I know we will,” Abbie said, going back upstairs to check on Alta, “because there is _no way_.”  Ichabod saw her shudder, not that he could blame his wife, thinking of the snow globe Sophie had given them…complete with a little brown baby floating around inside.

 

_The End_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Latin roughly means, My Love for You Is Soul Deep - as least that's what google translator tells me. (side eye)


End file.
